Hearing protection rated earbuds with bluetooth

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gun1

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All,

I am researching hearing protection rated earbuds with bluetooth and am curious what others' experiences are that have experience with them.

A couple models I am looking at for starters:

ISOTunes Free Aware
ISOTunes UltraComm Aware
Walkers Silencer BT

I am open to all suggestions. My criteria is as follows:

- Totally wireless. IE - not 2 earbuds joined with a wire that, together, are "wireless" to the bluetooth device, but wired together.

- Hearing protection rated - higher the better (at least upper 20's on dB if not in to the 30's)

- Can operate each individually, as opposed to the requirement of them to operate as a pair only

- If at all possible - has an on-device volume adjustment (as opposed to only being able to adjust the volume from the audio source)

- Additional device support (behind the ear retainer, for example), as opposed to solely relying on the plug to ear canal seal

The UltraComm Aware and the Walkers mentioned above check most of those boxes, but from what I can tell (I could have missed it) they lack the volume adjustment on the device.

There is an older Walkers pair I found, no longer made, that had an on-device volume control.

The 3M EEP-100 set is "electronic", but it does not have Bluetooth connectivity, nor do I see any "base station" they operate in conjunction with. They appear to be part of a "communications system" from 3M, but maybe I misinterpreted that. It was looking like you could interface the earbuds with some sort of "base station" that was the wireless connection to the earbuds, but I can not find such a device. I also found a review that spoke highly of these for shooting applications, however it was stated in the review specifically they did not have Bluetooth capability. So I am a bit at a loss on these and am looking elsewhere.

Thoughts, ideas?
 
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I have a set of Walker Razor XV's, that doesn't completely meet your needs since both earbuds are connected to the plastic piece that goes behind the neck.

I find them particularly useful for group hunting activities (duck, pheasant, hog hunting), etc..., or activities like sporting clays. I've used them for several years, and as long as I remember to charge them the day before the hunt, have no complaints. They will generally last for a day of that activity, allow talking at a normal level, and give some sound amplification when shots are going off (great to hear ducks/geese calling as they fly).

I really don't notice the plastic piece that goes behind the neck while wearing them.
 
I have tried several of these, and found they usually function well.

IMHO, the protection offered is sufficient for handguns on an outdoor range without overheads. If you shoot on a range with overheads, they may not be enough. They do not provide enough protection for centerfire rifle shooting, though they would probably be fine for hunting where you're not shooting constantly. They are also insufficient for an indoor range.
 
+1 on Walker's Razor XV. Hard to beat their 30DB noise reduction and really enhance sounds a couple hundred yards away.

I also use them in the shop and yard to block machine noise and replace it with my tunes.
 
A few thoughts, ok opinions . . . . I have tried electronic earbuds and reverted to electronic muffs. That said, friends use electronic buds successfully. Isotunes, Walkers, 3M and Otto ($$) seem to work well for them.

* I found that earbuds won't stay in my ear. Could be the shape of my ear canals or that I move too much.

* Earbuds (and foam plugs as well) don't reduce noise from bone conduction. Muffs are better in this regard. This may not be an issue for you. FWIW, your noggin still conducts unless you put your head in a "soundproof booth." Muffs attenuate the direct path to your eardrums, though. Buds don't.

* Friends have lost an earbud now and then. The cordless ones are worst. With a cord between the two, at least you have a leash on a loose bud.

* Rechargeable buds will have an effective lifespan. When the battery finally dies, it can't be replaced. If you're ok with them as consumables then just buy another pair. This is different than my Peltor electronic muffs. They have a replaceable rechargeable battery pack or I can put in alkaline cells.

* Bluetooth is overrated; at least with the Peltor muffs. It drains the battery more quickly. I also learned that when shooting I don't want all the notifications coming out of my phone to come through the muffs. It's annoying and distracting.

* In my experience audio quality is much better with muffs than buds. Admittedly, I've compared a range of low dollar to high dollar muffs, but only low dollar buds. Money may buy you better earbud audio quality.

* About muffs instead of buds: Many muffs collide when I shoulder a rifle or shotgun. The right muff with a suitable profile works just fine for me.

My 20 m$ and perhaps some food for thought.
 
I have a couple Howard Leight headsets, one bluetooth, for shooting that I really like. And I have a non-powered 3M headset also.

The catch is I have another scenario to cover where I am only allowed to wear an ear bud and ear plug, but no ear bud and headset or powered/bluetooth headset. I already exhausted those options. Quite frankly, the most comfortable set up for me is the 3m headset + earbud. Unfortunately, I can't do that.

So my only option is a suitable ear bud.
 
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I did some digging on the ISOTunes UltraComm Aware's and they do not have a volume control for the bluetooth on the device(s). However, I am not finding anything else that checks as many of the other boxes as they do - and they allow for the environmental hearing until a loud noise causes them to cut out the outside noise. That is what my Howard Leight headsets do. My older one from the early 2010's has a volume control for the outside environmental noise, then when you shoot it turns that off. The new set from last year has the same feature but with the addition of the bluetooth. Admittedly, I haven't tried the bluetooth audio in those when shooting, so I am not sure how the combination reacts, but without any bluetooth audio they work well - as good as the old ones. I presume the ISOTunes UltraComm Aware's function the same. The question is how much hearing protection there is and if I can hear the bluetooth adequately with the attenuation of the hearing protection.

There was a review that said the environmental mics, when activated, can get confused and pulse with high noise environments, but you can turn it off completely. We'll see how that works in my use cases.
 
The good thing about IsoTunes is their money-back guarantee. If you don't like them, return them. Sadly, I didn't like mine and sent them back. They seemed to be a good solution and friends have been happy with them. They just didn't work for me.
 
I got the Isotunes set yesterday and used them. From what I can tell so far they work better than what I have been using, but they still aren't "great".

Pluses:
- They attenuate environmental noise way better than the ear buds I was using.
- The retainer band keeps them in place a lot better = they won't fall out.

Minuses:
- No volume control of the bluetooth audio output. I think this is a function of the Bluetooth system in general as I have other speakers and such that when I adjust the "volume" control on the "speaker" the device volume is what is adjusted = the source, not the speaker. So I can see where the Isotunes audio output doesn't have that ability - it isn't in the device, its in the source. That said, my Howard Leight BT headset as a volume knob that adjusts the audio output. I crank up the audio on the device then adjust locally with the knob on the headset. I wish that is how these earbuds were, but there again - where is there space to put a knob or set of buttons? It would be nice if they did that, though.

- I haven't found an ear tip that I really like yet. The skull screws don't fit me and the foamies so far have loosened up over time or have been hard to get to fit in. I am trying the long mediums today so we'll see if that helps any. Going back to the retainer band - when they do loosen up I don't have to worry about them falling so that is good.

- The Aware feature that lets you hear the environmental noise until the level is too high, then it cuts off, doesn't work where I use them. The environmental noise is consistently high enough the threshold fluctuates and the audio pops in and out. Every time it does the audio I am listening to pops with it. I just turn it off completely and that helps a ton.

We'll see how I get along with them as time goes on. Again, so far they are a better solution but I still don't really care for them.
 
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